How world power China overtook Malaysia in snooker

New Straits Times

07-05-2025

KUALA LUMPUR: Once upon a time, Malaysia ruled the Asian snooker scene. Yes, really.
Back in the 1980s and 1990s, we had players like Sam Chong and Ng Ann Seng regularly chalking up wins at continental tournaments.
While China were still fumbling with their cues, our cueists were dominating, thanks to better skills, tournament experience and a decent domestic structure.
Fast forward to today, and it's a different story, one that doesn't end in our favour.
China are now snooker giants. They've produced world-class stars like Zhao Xintong, Yan Bingtao and, of course, the trailblazing Ding Junhui. Meanwhile, Malaysia have slipped so far behind we're now reduced to chasing Sea Games medals and even that's a tall order.
What happened?
"China are committed," said Xintong, now a world champion and one of the sport's brightest stars.
"We didn't have much before Junhui. But once he started winning, the country built on that success.
"We got academies, coaches, support. Players were encouraged to go to the UK and test themselves."
Simple as that.
Junhui's rise lit the fuse. Suddenly, Chinese youngsters believed they could make it. But belief alone doesn't cut it. China backed it up with real investment. Dozens of academies popped up; facilities were upgraded.
Young players were thrown into competitive systems and flown abroad to learn from the best. They turned potential into performance, talent into titles.
And Malaysia? We took our eye off the ball.
Despite producing Asian champions like Rory Thor and Moh Keen Hoo in recent times, the national development centre in Bukit Jalil was shut down in 2012.
It has never been revived.
The Malaysian Snooker & Billiards Federation (MSBF) has worked tirelessly to get funding from the government, private sector, anyone — but nothing has come through.
MSBF is still trying, continuously requesting help and support, but it is fighting a losing battle.
Meanwhile, China just kept pushing forward. Today, they've not only caught up, they've left us behind in a cloud of chalk dust.
Our facilities are outdated, our junior system is patchy, and the sport still suffers from an image problem. To many Malaysians, snooker is a pastime played in dimly lit halls, not a legitimate, high-performance sport.
Here's the kicker — there is no programme in place to support our national cueists right now. Zero.
And yet they're expected to win medals at the Sea Games in December.
How? With magic cues? It's a fantasy. You can't deliver results without structure.
No money, no training, no proper coaches, but still, medals are demanded. It's not just unfair. It's absurd.
No Malaysian has ever qualified for the World Championship at the Crucible in Sheffield. China? They've got a pipeline of players ready to take over the professional tour.
It's all depressingly familiar. Remember football? In the 1990s, Japan came to Malaysia to study our league structure. Today, they're among the best in the world.
And we are still arguing about naturalised players, salary arrears, and empty stadiums.
Malaysia can get back on track in snooker. But it has to start with commitment. Real commitment — not lip service.
We need a national academy, fully funded and staffed by qualified coaches. Young players need structured competitions and the chance to train abroad. The sport needs to be cleaned up and rebranded — marketed as a career path, not a hobby for uncles.
Right now, snooker is still classified as a parlour sport. Under-16s can't even enter snooker centres.
In China, teenage prodigies are being groomed for the professional tour, often backed by private funders who treat snooker like a serious sport.
Xintong's success is a classic example. He started in a modest club in Xi'an. With the right backing and belief, he went on to win one of the sport's biggest prizes.
It's not a fairy tale. It's a blueprint.
Malaysia used to lead. We can do it again but only if we stop living in the past and start building for the future.
The cue is in our hands. Time to make the shot.